Pine Crest To Get Share Of Millions

BUDDY NEVINS - Politics

May 18, 1996|BUDDY NEVINS

Educators wanted to put computers in some central Broward, heavily-African-American public schools. But to get $5 million in state money, Broward officials were forced to share the cash - with a private school. That school is the Fort Lauderdale campus of Pine Crest School.

And the legislator who insisted on dealing in Pine Crest is Florida Senate President Jim Scott. The money would wire classrooms so they can receive, and in some cases transmit, voice and video from the Internet. It also would go to purchase at least four computers per classroom and a laptop computer for each teacher.

Broward isn't mentioned in the state budget language earmarking the money. Theoretically, any Florida school system that the state Commissioner of Education recommends could get the money.

But Scott says: "It's a pilot program that will be tried in Broward. Broward is where it is intended."

The split is $1 million for Pine Crest and $4 million for the public schools. Pine Crest would be required to provide at least $400,000 in matching money.

The Broward system would spread its money among 17 aging schools in Fort Lauderdale, Lauderdale Lakes and Lauderhill. Pine Crest's money would go to a campus where 1,600 students pay as much as $10,000 a year each in tuition and many have their own laptop computers.

"The private school money isn't intended for any particular school, but Pine Crest would be a good example of a school that wants to get into advanced technologies," says Scott, R-Fort Lauderdale, who has a child who graduated Pine Crest.

Gary Butts, Pine Crest's development director, says he doesn't know anything about the state money. Pine Crest, however, is perfectly positioned to get some of it, he says.

The private school is in the midst of a multimillion-dollar fund-raising drive for technology improvements and already produces Internet material for many private schools.

Gov. Lawton Chiles has not signed the bill yet.

Barakat lobbies judge

A lobbying effort is attempting to keep Democratic boss Russ Barakat out of prison.

Barakat is facing six to 18 months behind bars for tax evasion when he is sentenced by U. S. District Judge Norman C. Roettger in August. So party activists are being encouraged to flood Roettger with letters pleading that the judge go easy on Barakat.

Labels are even being distributed at party meetings with Roettger's address on them.

Meanwhile, Barakat is expected to survive Tuesday's meeting of the Democratic Executive Committee, the first since his conviction. Anti-Barakat forces don't appear to have two-thirds of the 700-plus votes necessary to topple the party chairman. And Barakat says he is not leaving on his own.

Barakat will lose anyway

The speaker at the regular monthly meeting of the party will be State Attorney Michael Satz, making the Broward prosecutor the first politician to share the stage with Barakat since his conviction.

"I committed to the engagement a long time ago," says Satz, who quickly adds that his appearance is no endorsement of Barakat. "I'm committed to speak about criminal justice, and that's all I'm doing."

By not quitting his party post, Barakat is only delaying the inevitable. As a convicted felon, Barakat will soon lose his right to vote, and only registered voters can serve as party chairman.

Joe Cotter, assistant Broward supervisor of elections, says that within two months his office should receive official notice of Barakat's conviction. Then Barakat automatically is removed from the voting rolls, he says.